Archaeological digs on the Ophel have occurred on and off since the middle of the 19th century. But only in recent years have royal structures been uncovered in Jerusalem that closely correlate to the biblical descriptions of King Solomon’s massive building projects in the books of Kings and Chronicles.

In the most recent phase of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Ophel excavations, this past summer, Eilat Mazar and her team set out to uncover more remains from the Solomonic period–and they did. But no one expected the most stunning discovery of all to come in the first week of the dig, after excavators had barely broken through the surface of a new area. (more…)

In the picture above (from left to right) are Area B Assistant Area Supervisor Chris Eames, Area B Area Supervisor Brent Nagtegaal, Herbert W. Armstrong College Dean of Students Stephen Flurry, lead archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar and student volunteers Matt Friesen, Reese Zoellner and Tabitha Burks.

Four months after phase 2A of the Ophel Excavation concluded Dr. Eilat Mazar and her staff went back to the field on April 22 for Phase 2B. In this continuation of the second phase, Dr. Mazar will continue to reveal more of the massive First Temple period structures along the eastern part of the Ophel area.

The workers on the dig are comprised of Israeli students and workers along with 14 students or alumni of Herbert W. Armstrong College sent to Jerusalem from Edmond, Oklahoma to participate in the excavation.

To follow the events on the ground in Jerusalem and watch as Dr. Mazar uncovers the fascinating history of Jerusalem, check back at KeytoDavidsCity.com for regular updates, pictures and videos as the excavation progresses.

We’ve added our latest batch of photos to the website, including the pictures from the last days on the excavation before it concluded Dec. 31, 2012. In her concluding remarks to KDC viewers, Dr. Mazar said:

We are ending now the excavations of 2012, but this is not a goodbye–because we are going to continue revealing more of ancient Jerusalem and continuing our excavation during 2013. We surely hope you enjoyed what we tried to share with you and show you in real time: our excavations, findings and atmosphere, everything related. And we’re going to continue doing so. So, see you soon, and hope you enjoyed!

A small part of our crew remains in Jerusalem to help Dr. Mazar process the finds of the 2012 excavation. Stay tuned for future updates and pictures as we continue working with Dr. Mazar to catalogue the finds of the dig.

On Dec. 31, 2012, the second phase of Dr. Eilat Mazar’s excavation on the Ophel officially concluded, but public awareness of the dig both in Jerusalem and within the online archaeological community continues to grow.

Our most recent feature video, “Conclusion of the Ophel Excavation 2012,” in which Dr. Mazar summarizes her thoughts on the excavation, has been publicized by several online archaeological and biblical sites this month.

“The Ophel in Jerusalem sits at the heart of Biblical archaeology,” the Biblical Archaology Society staff wrote January 15. “The site’s rich research history stretches back to Charles Warren in the 1860s, and the Ophel continues to yield incredible discoveries to this day. The most recent Ophel excavation season, directed by Dr. Eilat Mazar, wrapped up on December 31, 2012, and archaeologists with the Herbert W. Armstrong College produced the following video on their informative website, The Key to David’s City.”

The article goes on to link to our website and embeds our concluding feature video. It also links to Dr. Mazar’s published works and several of her articles that have appeared previously in Biblical Archaeology Review.

Exploring Bible Lands also
highlighted the video in their
“2012 Archaeology News” post and Popular Archaeology published an article January 7 featuring the proto-aeolic capital, or royal Israelite capital fragment discovered in the course of Dr. Mazar’s excavation.

HWAC dig volunteers Elizabeth Blondeau and Douglas Culpepper continue in our interview series, putting some of the other diggers and staff on the Ophel Excavation dig site in front of the camera. Here is part 3 of 3.

Area A supervisor Amir Kohen Klonymus describes a fire pit discovered on the Ophel Excavation that was filled with ash, pieces of pottery, pieces of wood and what appears to be grapes that could date to almost three thousand years ago. Ophel Excavation sponsors Daniel Mintz and Meredith Berkman and their family also visit the site, while Dr. Eilat Mazar gives a summation of this phase of the dig.

Galleries

Ophel Excavation 2013

On April 22, 2013, Dr. Eilat Mazar reopened the second phase of her Ophel Excavation, uncovering the ruins of King Solomon’s complex near the foot of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Herbert W. Armstrong College sent fifteen students and alumni to Jerusalem to volunteer on this past summer's dig, which concluded in August. Previously, from August to December 2012, over twenty representatives from the college assisted Dr. Mazar for four months during the first half of phase two of the excavation.